Page 47 of Divine

Her suggestion was unnecessary, not only because I wasn’t wearing a helmet, but because I had precious cargo on board. She had to know I would never let anything happen to her. Protecting Divine wasn’t just my job. It was my obsession. Divine’s grip tightened around me, bringing me comfort as I pulled out of the parking lot. Once I made it to her house, I pulled up to the door.

“Stay, Lee Lee. I don’t want you out driving this late.”

“It’s not that late, Divine.”

“Well, I feel bad for having you way out here. I’m sure you were probably about to get some or something.”

“Really?” I chuckled.

“Oh my God! I’m so silly. I’m probably holding you up from getting laid.”

“You’re not holding me up from anything, Divine,” I assured her.

“Well, why won’t you stay? Let’s watchThe Golden Girlsuntil we fall asleep.”

“Don’t you mean untilyoufall asleep?”

“Whichever comes first.” She shrugged, knowing that as soon as she got comfortable and quiet, she would be out like a light.

I knew I was unable to refuse her, but it was worth a try. Finally relenting, I parked my bike and got off. Satisfied that she had gotten me to fold once again, Divine turned on her heels and pranced inside. I chuckled under my breath, knowing that no matter what I was doing, I would drop everything and follow her to the ends of the earth.

* * *

The smell of bacon caused my eyes to pop open. It only took a couple of minutes for me to remember that I was asleep on the couch in Divine’s living room. The crook in my neck was just confirmation. As predicted, after one and a half episodes, my girl was knocked out. With her head resting on my thigh, I found myself dozing off right behind her.

Since I was at Divine’s, I knew what I had mistaken for bacon was that turkey crap she liked to pass off as the real thing. I sighed as I moved to the kitchen in search of her.

“Fish don’t fry in the kitchen. Beans don’t burn on the grill,” she sang as she stirred something in a pot.

When I first got assigned to Divine’s detail, I found her constantly sunny disposition annoying as fuck. Somehow, it had grown on me. I looked forward to her always happy ass to cheer me up when I wasn’t with it. She had gone through so much in her life, but yet, she found a reason to smile every day. Some days, I barely found a reason to talk.

“I’m rubbing off on you,” I said, laughing as I slid onto a stool at her kitchen island.

“Good morning, sleepy head.”

The smile that lit up her face when she spotted me nearly stopped my heart. You would think that I would have gotten used to her by now, but it seemed like I was getting worse instead of better.

“Good morning. What you in here making?”

“Turkey bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches. You already know I got you.”

“I don’t know why you keep trying to pass that shit off as bacon, Cookie.” I chuckled.

“Because it gives the illusion of bacon while being better for your heart.”

“Turkey bacon is full of nitrates and chemicals. It’s hardly good for anybody’s heart.”

“I said it’s better for your heart. Do you want to eat, or do you want to keep talking shit?”

“Why can’t I do both?” I asked.

“Because you can’t talk with your mouth full. Plus, I want you to try a new juice I’ve been working on.”

“I’m going to start charging you for being a taste tester,” I told her.

“And I’m going to start charging you for eating up all of my groceries.”

“Groceries that you make me eat.”

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